What are Gmail Ads and do they add value to your Digital Marketing?

Posted on January 18th, 2017,
by Jack Elkins

If you speak to any business owner, finding that competitive edge is going to be near the top of their list if not at the top. So if I say I had a golden ticket to giving them that chance to become a cut above the rest, they’d be jumping out of their office chairs and spilling their lunch over their desk in ecstasy…but I don’t. However, Gmail Ads do offer another touch point; the most personal of which we’ve never seen before. Imagine being able to target and connect with potential customers on a much more personal and individual level in their inbox, after all, engagement and connection to the individual is what marketers crave!

What are Gmail Ads?

Gmail Ads are just starting to come out of their infancy and with over 1 billion users of Google’s email system, 2017 is looking to be a huge year for Gmail Ads and the display network as a whole.

The thing that makes Gmail different from the other advertising platforms is based on how it serves you adverts. Say if you’ve visited a website and have signed up to their newsletter and you receive said email from that website, Google can see these emails. This information is then used to pulled through adverts which share similarities or things of possible interest to you. A good example of this could be Air BnB (I know, you’re fed up of hearing about Air BnB!). If you were to receive information in your inbox from Air BnB, the chances are you could be served adverts relating to accommodation but also hire cars, flights and possible destinations to visit and what to do there from a whole number of different brands. This is because these emails are essentially saying “Look Google, I’m interested in this!”.

What does a Gmail Ad look like?

An Ad can come in many forms as you can customise how you want to receive your emails using Gmail, but Google is constantly making efforts to streamline Ads into your life without you noticing – because if an Ad doesn’t look like an Ad, what’s the problem? – in Google’s eyes anyway! And this is what makes them so appealing to marketers. Any potential buyers are already higher up the purchasing funnel and have already decided that they have a need for that product, they’re merely choosing which product/service, be it based on price, quality, reputation, or personal referral etc.

A snapshot of an ad in your inbox…looking familiar?

Adverts are getting more sleek and streamlined with organic content and SEO, and you can see this in the examples below. Regardless of how you sort your emails, when displayed they will always appear at the top of the recipients email inbox. You’re immediately leapfrogging the traffic jam of emails waiting to be read by your audience (providing you have the right settings and budget to allow this!).

Mobile is the future: An expanded Gmail Ad

Are Gmail Ads worth the Digital Marketing spend?

If you’re looking for a quick answer to this, then I would have to say…quite possibly. With all digital marketing spend you have to identify what you expect to see as a return. This could be conversions, more traffic to your website or brand awareness. As previously mentioned, the targeting power of Gmail is massive. This obviously means you can be more precise when isolating your audience but, and it’s a big but, you can save money as a result of refining your adverts. Rather than casting your net wide, you can choose specific domains to trigger your adverts, meaning you get the reach and exposure, but at a fraction of the cost. With a well-tuned campaign and an appropriate budget, Gmail Ads can certainly offer your business new opportunities that the tried-and-tested methods can’t.

If Google mail ads tick your box and interested what possibilities it has for your business, you can always get more information from us by leaving a comment below, emailing welcome@cariadmarketing.com or call us on 01992 582 824 to speak to a member of the team.

It certainly does Mary! I can’t be giving any secrets away unfortunately but if there’s anyone out there who wants to know more then we’re always happy to chat! It’s all about being smart and planning your campaign thoroughly, and of course you can always trial your campaigns before actually spending your money.